Designed by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and Workfore Matters Funder's Network.

With unprecedented and unrelenting high unemployment rates, it is hard to believe that some jobs are going unfilled. Addressing the skills mismatch is essential to driving economic recovery and growth. Yet there are reasons to believe the situation might get worse. According to new research from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 97 million U.S. jobs require high-level skills, but only 45 million Americans are currently qualified for such positions. By 2018, 63 percent of all new jobs will require at least some postsecondary education. To meet this demand, 300,000 more Americans will need to earn a college degree or credential each year than are currently projected to do so. The workforce funding community is playing an important role in building workers’ skills and meeting industry needs while improving economic security of families. This discussion will highlight ongoing strategies and initiatives and will allow participants to ask questions about grantmaking, advocacy, partnerships, and reform approaches.

Facilitators

• Andy Van Kleunen, Executive Director, National Skills Coalition
• Patricia Jenny, Program Director, New York Community Trust
• Fred Dedrick, Executive Director, National Fund for Workforce Solutions
• Whitney Smith, Program Manager, Joyce Foundation
• Chauncy Lennon, Program Officer, Quality Employment, Ford Foundation

Registration

To register for this event, please visit COF's 2011 Annual Conference registration page.  GCIR members qualify for the COF member rate.  To receive the rate, please use our affinity group discount code, 4562, at the time of registration.